And william taylob



April 23, 1929. 4

ETHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING CERAMIC STRUCTURES Filed Feb. 15. 1926 3 Sheets eat 1 J. M. TEAHEVN ET AL 1,710,277

April 1929. J. M. TEAHEN ET AL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING CERAMIC STRUCTURES Filed Feb. 15, .1926 r 5 Sheets-Sheet I 7622mm J laf v mm,

affotlnug April 23, 1929.

M. TEAHEN ET AL. 1,710,277 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING CERAMIC STRUCTURES Filed Feb. 15, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Apr. 23, 1929.

mm; STATES PATENT Orr-ice. 1

JAMES M. TEAHEN, OF DETROIT,

MICHIGAN, AND WILLIAI TAYLOR, OF BOBINSON,

ILLINOIS.

- nnrnon AND nrrana'rus son-roaming canmrc s'raucruans.

Application m February 15, 1926. Serial No. aslsao.

built up of separately molded sections subsequently united to.each other. The structure is then permitted to dry for a certain per o of time after which it is baked in the During both the drying and the 'baklng steps shrinkage occurs and it is exceedingly difiicult with complex structures to avoid either cracking or. distortion.

' It is the primaryobject of the present 111- ventionto avoid the defects incident to shrinkage and toobtain a product which is not only freefrom cracks but is also held 2 to predetermined dimensions and form. To this end the invention consistsin the method and apparatus as hereinafter set forth.

While our improved process and apparatus are applicable to the manufactureof various ceramic structures, we have specifically illustrated the manufacture of water closets. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through a water closet showing apparatus for supporting the same during the firing process.

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation a modified construction.

Figure 3 is a plan view-of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a crosssection showing a tank cover and the form. on which it is supported. Figure 5 is a plan view thereof. 1 I Figures 6, 7, and 8 arerespectively side elevation, end elevat'on and plan views of the supporting stilt..

The water closet which is illustrated 1n thedrawings is of that type in which the supply tank, bowl and sip onic trap are all formed as an integral structure. During the shrinkage process there is a tendency to conthe centre ,of-mass which freshowing tract towards quently develops either in cracks or in distortion of form. Furthermore, the structure not completely self-supper various'portions are separate these sup rts tion.

'and if the y; s pp may-mterfere Wltll contrac- To avoid the e ues as rea essary change in angle.

H is arranged. at an oblique angle to the base internal stresses resulting in the green 1s the various portions of the structure are sus tained by relatively freely movable supports so designed as to permit contraction. Some of these supports are also fashioned to guide the direction of shrinkage and to impart to the shrunken articlev an exactly predetermined form.

B the hollow rim thereof, C the siphonic trap, D the supporting base and E the tank which 1s 1n rear of the bowl and above the trap. This structure when placed in the kiln is .mverted, the bowl and rim-being supported upon I rests upon a base plate G. The tank and trap are supported by a stilt H having its lower end rockably engaging the plate G Thus, during shrinkage the trap are permitted to move toward the bowl by the rocking of the stilt H while the rocking of the plate F will compensate for any nec- Preferably the stilt G so that in tilting it not only moves the trap laterally toward the centre of m ss but also permits a movement in a VBIlLlCQl'dIIGC- tion. The balance is such that the rocking movements of both the stilt H and the plate F are efiected with little stress in the clay walls. I

i In addition to the functionof transporting the relatively As specifically shown, A is the closet bowl, 7

a rocker plate F which in turn 7 and tank movable parts durin shrinkage, these supporting members are ashioned toform guiding forms which determine the final shape of the shrunken article. Thus, as shown, the stiltH is provided with the laterally extending ribs 1 of a contour corresponding to tank adjacent thereto. The rocker plate F is also provided with an annular supporting surface for engaging the rim of the bowl and holdingithelatter in its plane. A rib J on the roc er plate F limits the sliding movement of the rim on said plate due to-the contraction in the diameter thereof and establishes an exact relation between the outer portion of said rim and the point of pivotal the curve of the portion of 4 support for the stilt H. The stilt H, rocker late F and base plate G are preferably ormed of baked clay or other material which will not change in shape or dimensions during the firing process.

With the construction-as described, in op;- eration the clay structure, after the pro'per amount of preliminary drying, is mounted upon the members G, F and I and is then placed in the kiln. During the baking process, the various parts will shrink until they assume the position indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 1. This movementis permitted without resistance by the rocking of the. members F and H as before described while the member H also shapes the contour of the tank to the desired form.

Other ceramic structures, such as the cover. plate K for the tank, must be held to a predetermined contour or form. This is accomplished by supporting the dried clay on a member'L which is complementary to the desired cross sectionallcontour of the inner proximately the contour before shrinkage.

face of the cover K after shrinkage. Originally the members L and K are of diiferent cross sectional contour so that the member K is supported only at the centre but during shrinkage it will gradually settle down as well as'shrinking toward its centre until it is in full contact with the member L. The rim M for this cover depends from the body portion thereof and to guide in the original setting of the article the sup orting member L is provided with a base auge N of apof said rim M This enables the operator to place the member K upon the member L in proper alignment so that after shrinkage it will beef the desired form.

Where the walls of the dried clay structure vary in thickness there is a tendency for '3 is a modification of certain portions to more quickly heat up and therefore to distort in form. Such a tendency is overcome" b varying the mass of the supporting mem er L with reference to, the thickness of wall of the. adjacent members supported thereby. Generally speaking the thin wall portions are placed adjacent to the thicker portions in. the support and vice versa the thicker portions of the dried clay article are placed adjacent to the thinner portions ofthe support. Thus, during firing the tendency for the thinner portions to more quickly heat is nullified by their proximity to the portions of the support which are of greatenthickness.

The construction shown in Figures 2 and that shown in Figure 1 designed to avoid the warping of the plate shown sup havmg a de ndmg' marginal stren hening his p a i on which the bowl is supported. It is essential that the rim B of the bowl should. be maintained substantially flat and to this end the upper surface of the rocker plate F lies m a plane. Inasmuch however as the rocker has a single line of sup rt, thereis tendency for the plate to we no to internal stresses when m a highly sated condition. Such dificulty is avold Q bythe construction Figures 2 and 3 in which the rocker port is formedofaflat plate member F te is supporte upon a rockable' into therocker member 0. This relieves the plate F from any tendency towarp while any warping or change of shape of the member 0 will not materially affect its function.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. In a process for. manufacturing ceramic structures, the step of relatively movably supporting spaced portions of an integral ceramic structure to be freely relatively movable in the direction of shrinkage between said portions and in applying a force for urging said portions in the said direction of movement.

2. An apparatus for supporting ceramic structures during the'shrinkage thereof comprising a plurality of supporting bearings for engaging difierent portions of an integral ceramic body, said bearings being relatively movable in the direction of shrinkage- 'comprising a plurality of supporting bearmgs for engaging different portions of an integral ceramic body, said bearings'being relatively movable in the direction of. shrinkage between said integral body portions.

4:- .An apparatus for supporting ceramic bodies during the heat treatment thereof comprising a plurality of supporting bearings for engaging spaced portions of an integral ceramic body, said bearings being relatively rockable to permit free movement of said portions in the direction of shrinkage.

5. An apparatus for supporting ceramic structures during the heat treatment thereof comprising a rockable bearing for supporting one portion of an integral ceramic struc .ture and a rockable stilt for supporting anopposite ends thereof other portion of said structure, said rockable members being so positioned as to permit by their relative rocking movements the free movement of the portions supported thereby in 13h;n direction of shrinkage.

thereof comprising a member on which said structure rests fashioned tothe desired form of the surface contacting therewith, and a member having distributed bearlngs for supporting said plate and relieving the same from warping stresses.

an apparatus for supporting ce-- 'ramic structures during heat treatment 7. In a process for manufacturing ceramic structures, the step of placing a ceramic body in proximity to a substantially rigid pattern or form and subjecting said body during shrinkage to the action of a force for conforming the same to said pattern.

8. In a process for manufacturing ceramic structures the step of supporting a ceramic body on a portion of a substantially rigid pattern and conforming said body to other portions of said pattern during shrinkage by the action of gravity.

9. In a process for manufacturing ceramic structures varying in mass in different portions thereof, the step of placing the body during heat treatment adjacent to another having its mass varied to control the temperature in said difierent portions.

10. In a process for manufacturing ceramic structures, the step of floatingly sup porting spaced portions of an integral ceramic structure to permit substantially frictionless relative movement thereof in the direction of shrinkage.

11. In a process for manufacturing ceramic structures, the step of rockably supporting spaced portions ofanintegral ceramic structure to permit substantially frictionless free relative movement thereof in the direction of shrinkage.

12. In a process for manufacturing ceramic structures, the step of supporting a ceramic body during heat treatment thereof adjacent to a substantially rigid pattern and JAMES M. TEAHEN. WILLIAM TAYLOR. 

